Podcast Episode #273
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Maintenance mode can take over in any church regardless of its age or its size. Today, we discuss how to combat it and how to stay focused on the mission.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Regardless of the age or size of a church, the natural tendency is to turn inwardly focused.
- Reversing the natural tendency of a church requires a supernatural response.
- Churches often have too many activities because they won’t get rid of the ones that need to go.
- Almost any time you try to stop doing something in a church you will meet resistance.
- When you do something different that how a church has always done it, you will have conflict.
- Strategy is implicit and explicit throughout Scripture.
- There are very few times when culture is amenable to the church.
- A church’s attitude has to turn around before the actions of the church will turn around.
The 11 reasons churches move from growth to maintenance are:
- It is a natural tendency.
- Too many activities (keeping the plates spinning).
- Failure to kill programs and activities
- Conflict
- Lack of strategic leadership
- Pet programs and preferences
- Biblical drift
- Excuses
- Lack of faith
- Lack of courage
- Comfort
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Feedback
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Natural tendency: It seems that, in almost all groups which organize for a purpose, sooner or later its purpose morphs to self-perpetuation.
Great article, thanks!! I would add complacency to that list. And, complacency is often a result of a lack of urgency sensed by the congregation, often subtly communicated by the leadership and/or the abundance of resources held, and often times, displayed.
This is a basic sociology/organizational principle. All organizations, no matter what type, will become self-perpetuating rather than continuing what it was founded for. Once it reaches that stage, it becomes entrenched in itself.
That is why it is so hard to make changes, and is why new organizations appear to be more responsive and dynamic than old ones. New organizations usually appear more successful – until they reach that tipping point.
Thom, while all of your bullet point highlights are dead on, the last one is the most telling and the one that will make all of the difference. The first seven (and/or the 11 reasons) will be taken care of if and when the seventh bullet point happens. It is the key, and the only key, that unlocks the door.
I would add a reason #12…
that reason is denial that any of the previous 11 reasons are present in your church.
Pretty much the same problems as Government.
Thank you for this article! Change must be constant, as long as that change is focused on the Gospel. I’ve been part of church plants, small churches and very large churches. One thing I’ve noticed about large churches are they become so program oriented, business minded. I miss the days I was in the small church plant where everything was dependent on Jesus and what He was going to do. With the large church, it seems that every decision gets vetted through the bylaws and constitution.